1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a structure for supporting a sunroof deflector on the roof of a vehicle, and more particularly, a structure for supporting a sunroof deflector which prevents a deflector arm from moving down, using a locking lever that is pivotably fastened to the deflector arm by a hinge pin and is locked to an end of a deflector spring when a sunroof glass of a vehicle is open.
2. Description of Related Art
An opening that can be opened/closed by a sunroof glass may be formed at the roof panel of a vehicle to discharge the air in the vehicle to the outside or let the external air flow inside the vehicle.
In particular, most sunroof panels of vehicles are recently made of glass for wide open feeling and an excellent esthetic design and panorama sunroofs selectively and partially opening/closing those sunroof panels are used.
Passengers can take the sunlight through the panorama sunroofs when a vehicle is running or stops, and they can also feel refreshed by opening the panorama sunroofs while a vehicle runs.
In general, a sunroof deflector that changes the direction of wind upward to prevent the wind from flowing into a vehicle through an opening, when the vehicle runs with a sunroof glass open, is disposed ahead of the panorama sunroofs.
Such a sunroof deflector is operated in a type of tilting up a deflector arm, using a specific electric device or a type of removing pressure on a deflector arm when a sunroof glass opens and of tilting up the deflector arm, using elastic force of a deflector spring.
FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a typical automobile sunroof deflector.
As illustrated in FIG. 1, the sunroof deflector of the related art includes a deflector arm 2 of which one end pivotably coupled to a deflector base 1 on the roof of a vehicle and the other end connected with a deflector fabric 3 and a deflector spring 4 that is disposed between the deflector base 1 and the deflector arm 2 and provides elastic force to the deflector arm 2.
When a sunroof of a vehicle opens, the deflector arm 2 is moved up by the elastic force of the deflector spring 4 and the deflector fabric 3 connected to the deflector arm 2 blocks the front of an opening 5, thereby preventing wind from flowing into the vehicle.
When a sunroof of a vehicle closes, the deflector arm 2 is pressed down by a command shoe coupled to a sunroof glass, and accordingly, the deflector fabric 3 connected to the deflector arm 2 is stowed.
However, as illustrated in the figure, according to the sunroof deflector of the related art, when a vehicle runs at a high speed, excessive air resistance is applied to the deflector fabric 3, so the deflector arm 2 moves down and causes wind noise.
Although it is possible to reduce downward movement of the deflector arm by increasing the stiffness of the deflector spring 4 to remove this problem, an increase of stiffness of the deflector spring reduces durability and lifespan of the deflector spring and causes mis-reversing (reversing of a sunroof glass due to misjudgment on sticking of an object) due to an increase of resistance when a sunroof glass closes.
It may be possible to increase a motor safety value (a reference value for reversing a sunroof glass, when the sunroof glass closes with an object stuck) to solve the problem of mis-reversing, but it also deteriorates sensitivity of the safety function.
The information disclosed in this Background of the Invention section is only for enhancement of understanding of the general background of the invention and should not be taken as an acknowledgement or any form of suggestion that this information forms the prior art already known to a person skilled in the art.